James Voss, deputy for flight operations, Space Station
Program Mission Integration and Operations Office, Johnson
Space Center (JSC), Houston, has accepted the position of
Associate Dean for External Affairs, Samuel Ginn College of
Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.
Voss, a retired U.S. Army colonel, is one of NASA’s most
experienced astronaut managers. He logged five Space Shuttle
flights and served as a member of the International Space
Station Expedition 2 crew.
“Jim has served as an integral part of the astronaut and
human space flight program for more than 18 years,” said
NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe. “His contributions to human
space flight are numerous, but even more important, his
professionalism and demeanor have served as positive
examples for the astronaut corps. His efforts have helped
make the International Space Station a success. He will be a
valuable and wonderful addition to the Auburn University
faculty. Jim will serve as a true inspiration for the next
generation of explorers and scientists,” Administrator
O’Keefe said.
Voss received his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace
Engineering from Auburn in 1972. He received his Master of
Science in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the
University of Colorado in 1974 and his honorary Doctorate
from Colorado in 2000. He departed NASA last week, and he
will assume his duties at Auburn in the fall.
“Jim Voss has been a frequent and welcome visitor to the
Auburn campus during his tenure at NASA, and has spoken with
many of our students, alumni, and faculty members” said
Larry Benefield, dean of the Samuel Ginn College of
Engineering at Auburn University.
“Jim will bring a unique perspective to the engineering
classroom,” Benefield noted. “As a veteran astronaut, he
offers an exciting viewpoint that will elevate our
instructional program in a way that would not otherwise be
possible. “We are thrilled he will be joining us as we
position the College of Engineering to seek out new levels
of teaching, research and outreach. We also look to his
ability to share Auburn’s story as one of our most
distinguished graduates,” Benefield said.
” When I was a professor 20 years ago, I found that I truly
loved teaching young people. So I decided that when I
finished my service at NASA I would teach again. Auburn
University is giving me that opportunity. Teaching is a
personal passion for me, and a core mission for both Auburn
and NASA. On each of my space flights, I tried to share the
excitement and purpose of those missions with people
throughout the world. I look forward to returning to the
classroom and continuing NASA’s mission to inspire our next
generation of explorers,” Voss said.
Voss has worked at JSC since November 1984. As a Vehicle
Integration Test Engineer, he supported Shuttle and payload
testing at the Kennedy Space Center, and he participated in
the Space Shuttle Challenger accident investigation. He was
selected as an astronaut candidate in June 1987. Voss
completed a one-year training and evaluation program in
August 1988, which qualified him as a mission specialist on
Shuttle flights.
Voss was a crewmember on STS-44 Atlantis (November 24-
December 1, 1991); STS-53 Discovery (December 2-9, 1992);
STS-69 Endeavour (September 7-18, 1995); and STS-101
Atlantis (May 19-29, 2000). The Expedition 2 crew launched
on March 8, 2001, on STS-102 Discovery and docked with the
Space Station on March 9, 2001. Voss served aboard the
Station for 163 days and returned to Earth with the STS-105
crew on August 22, 2001. During the expedition, Voss
conducted spacewalks in both U.S. and Russian space suits,
and he was the first person to operate the Space Station
Robotic Manipulator System. During his career, Voss logged
202 days in space and performed four spacewalks.
Voss has received numerous awards and honors including the
University of Colorado Distinguished Engineering Alumni
Award (2002); elected to the Alabama Engineering Hall of
Fame (2001); NASA Distinguished Service Medal (2001); U.S.
Army Distinguished Service Medal (1999); NASA Outstanding
Leadership Award (1996); NASA Exceptional Service Medal
(1994); and five NASA Space Flight Medals.
For information about Voss on the Internet, visit:
